O'Brien, Beane help Southern Illinois hold off Bradley 71-59

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) Sean O'Brien had 24 points including a pair of key baskets in the final 5:10 to help Southern Illinois hold off Bradley 71-59 on Wednesday night.

Anthony Beane, after missing his first 12 attempts from the field, had back-to-back 3-pointers down the stretch that were crucial in helping the Salukis (21-7, 10-5 Missouri Valley Conference) pull away.

Bradley (4-24, 2-13) had a 12-2 run to pull within 55-52 with 5:27 left. O'Brien hit a jumper to stop the run and Beane followed with the two 3s - his only points of the night. O'Brien added a 3 to make it 66-55 with 2 minutes left.

Mike Rodriguez scored 14 points and Bola Olaniyan had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Southern Illinois.

Donte Thomas had 17 points and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye scored 12 for the Braves. Thomas scored six during the late run that pulled Bradley within three.